Aircraft



Sept. 6, 1932. DEAN 1,875,570

AIRCRAFT Filed July 26, 1930 2 Sheets-Shee l 5 Gearye Dean,

G. DEAN S ept. 6;, 1932.

AIRCRAFT Filed July 25, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I m/8212. 02: Cem ye Dam,

Patented S ept. 6,1932

{UNITED PATEN OFFICE GEORGE 15mm, or 1m n. GREEN, N LAN i 1 5 Application filed my '26, 1930, Serial No. 71,000, and Great'Britain August 2, 1 929.

Thisin-vention relatesto aircraft, of the kind, having driven lifting planes, and it has for one of its objects to provide a con struction and method of 'niounting and driving of the liftin planes whichwill result in high lifting efficiency at lowflying speed. According to thls mvention, eachlitting plane, which is an aerofoil set at the desired angle of incidence, is reciprocated bod ly in P a path transverse tothe lineof travel of the machine and arranged so that its leading ec e is at all times substantiallyat right- That i is to say, the leading edge of the flifting: plane is always presented to the "wind re angles to its resultant line of "travel.

sulting from thecoinbined-travel :of the machine and the reciprocating movement "of the lifting plane.

Preferably the reciprocatory .movement of the lifting "planes is efi'ect-ed by means which produce ahar-monic straight line path, and, n1eans,'either automatically or mechanically operated, are provided =toens'ure thele'a'din'g edges of the planes being presented to the wind.

Thus, a high speed -'of the lifting plane's will result in a high lifting effect, even:

though the speed of the machine is low.

Accordingto ai'urth'er feature of the invention, a lifting :plan'e is pivotally mounted on an aircraft structure fol-mocking when CiPl-VQIl-EIiJOIIt an axis which 11's substantially" horizontal or parallel to the longitudinalaxis of the aircraft. Several such lifting planes may be mounted in this manner symmetricallyrof the aircraft, andth'ey may *be arranged to be rocked about their pivota l' axes either in synchronism or in "isochronism;

In the accompanying drawings,

" Figure lii's-a diagrammatic :re'arview of a monopla'ne wing with one form of driven lifting plane according to the lnventlon applied to it, W V

Figure-Qis a plan corresponding to Fig- Figure 3 is "a diagrann'n'atic side elevation of 'a'modiiied arrangement according to the invention showing four associated driven lifting eplanes upported upon arms whi h area'themselvesformed as li fting screws,

' low it, respectively.

Figure i'is a half plan corresponding to the left-hand portion of Figure 3,

Figures 5,6 and 7 are views similar to Figure 4 showing the various positions occupied by the diiferent elements when the main supporting screw has moved angularly 30,

' 60, and 90, respectively, from the position shown in Figure i, a I

- Figure 8 isa'verticall cross-section through a wing which is diagrammatically illustrated a as being provided with anair-turbine which can be used for driving a lifting plane, such as is. shown in the preceding figures, and

Figure 9 is'part plan of the same. In the arrangement shown in Figures 1 and 2,1apair ofli'ftingplanes iselnployed oneach side of the fuselage 2 of the machine.

: The machine is provided with a main wing 23,: and the Yli'ftingwplanes 4, '5 are mounted somewhat to the rearof the trailing edge 6 of the main wing but spaced above'and be- These lifting planes, which are aerofoils set: at a desired angle of incidence, "are adapt- I ed to be moved rbodily with a reciprocato-ry motion in a'direction transversetothe line-of flight of the machine, and this is effected by' means which will impart a harmonic straight-line path to a'point on the planes which is situated approximatelyat-the centre 'of-pressurethereof.

In a construction of gearing for this purpose asillustrated, a; hypo-cycloidal straight line path is obtained in the followingman- 116IZ'AV6Ttl(tl shaft 7 is rotatably mounted in a fixed sleeve "8 perpendicularlyarranged ibetween the two lifting planes, and rigidly x attachednear each end of this sleeve is a-sta 1 'tionary sun wheel 9, 9. The shaft projects somewhat from both ends of "the fixed sleeve and'on each projecting end is fixed an arm 10, 10 which can rotate therewith. To the free end of each of these arms is rotatably mounted a second arm {11, and the pivot 12 of the latter has a gear wheelie keyed thereto which is half the diameterof the gear wheel 9 attached to the fixed sleeve. A chain 14" operatively connects these gears. {Rotat- '-th"e' f'ree'ends of'thearms 11,11 are the: upper 1-100 and lower lifting planes, and these pivots are so located as to be substantially at the centre of pressure of these planes, so that rotation of the vertical shaft 7, which may be effected in any desired manner, as by means of the gearing 16 interconnected with the propeller shaft 17, produces a straight line movement of these pivots transverse to the direction of flight. The driving means for the propeller shaft are shown diagrammatically as including the gearing 7 5 and across" shaft 76-connected to the engine 7 7 The drawings show tail fins or rudders 18,

18 attached to the lifting, planes to ensure their leading edges 19, 19 being correctly presented to the wind occasioned bythe combined forward travel of the machine andthe reciprocatory travel, of the planes. 7

Preferably the'air screw 20 is arranged in front of the main wings approximately at the centre line of the reciprocatory travel of the lifting planes 4, 5.

The lifting planes may be slidably mounted on a frame attached to the machine which may receive the lifting pressure of the planes,

instead of the arrangement illustrated.

In order to. retain lateral stability of the machine, when main wings are not employed, means may be provided in the actuating mechanism of the planes to accelerate or retardeither set of lifting planes on each side of the fuselage. If, however, main wings are employed in, conjunction with the lifting planes as illustrated, lateral stability can be retained in the usual way, as by warping the main wings or providing ailerons.

Also, the reciprocatory movement of the lifting planes may be varied by means incorporated in the actuatlng mechanism there "for, sothat such movement may be at a maximum when taking off or landing, and reduced or-become stationary when in full flight.

In case of engine failure, a certain amount of movement of the reciprocating planes can be effected by interconnecting them with aux iliary means or multi-bladed propellers, or

impellers or like wind motors, so that a ma -Ximum gliding angle will result.

In an alternative, arrangement to that illustrated, theactuating mechanism for reciprocating the lifting planes may be enclosed by a main wing of the machine, in which case the pivots 15, 15 on which the lifting planes are mounted may travel in slots provided for the purpose in the main pleted as helical blades and thereby add to the lifting effect of the devices. Also in place of single supplementary arms or blades each may be of a multiple nature. Furthermore the invention can be applied to airscrews having more than two blades or those of a continuous helical form, and a wide selective range of elliptical, spiral and transverse paths for the blades and aerofoils is attainable with such constructions and these paths again may be varied by rotation of the sun wheel.

Some of these arrangements are shown by Figures 3 to 7, where there are two pairs 21, 21 of driven lifting planes, each pair comprising an upper and a lower one, 22 and 23, respectively. These planes are secured on spindles 24, 24 swivelled in arms 25, 25 which are actually formed as lifting screws. These lifting screws are fast on spindles 26, 26

which are in turn swivelled on an arm 27.

formed as a larger lifting screw and secured to the driving sleeve 28. The chain wheels 29, 29 and 30, 30 are all of the same size and fast on their respective spindles and interconnected by chains 31,31 as shown. The

chain wheels 32, 32 are double the size and fixed on a rod 33 which is normally fixed but, as'in the case of the sun wheels 9, 9. of Figures 1 and 2, could be driven if desired.

As will be seen from Figures 4. to 7 during a 30 angularmovement of the larger airscrew 27, the smaller airscrews 25 have turned through 30"., Figures 4: and 5, in the other direction, i. e. through relative to the larger air screw 27, and so on. There fore, the loci of the tips of either of the air-screws 25 relative to the rod 33 are a pair of substantially straight lines perpendicular to one another. Furthermore, in Figure 4, the liftingplane 23 is nearer the sun wheel 32 than the other lifting plane 22, but when the larger air-screw has turned through 90 the lifting plane 23 is further from it than the other. Thus, the spindles 24, 24 of each pair 21 of lifting planes will be seen to travel in ellipses. the major axes of which are perpendicular to one another.

suitable arrangement it is possible to obtain substantial power from such a turbine while the aeroplane is gliding, and this power when applied to the lifting planes will materially assist in providing safe landing if the main engine has failed. 7

One arrangement according to this feature is illustrated very diagrammatically in Fig ures 8 and 9 of the accompanying drawings, where there is a bladed rotor, only a few blades 81, 81 being shown for the sake of convenience, mounted on an axle 82 carried by the wing. I

Half of the blades 81, 81 are associated with inlet passages 88, 83 and outlets 84. In Figure 9 the outlets are diagrammatically indicated by the chain line 85. The inlet passages 83 receive air from the leading edge of the plane where they have equally-spaced openings, as at this point the air pressure is very positive, and these air-ports are shaped to greatly accelerate the velocity of the air currents. Each passage is curled round so that it terminates substantially tangentially to the direction of motion of the blades, as indicated at 86, and furthermore it terminates with an upward rise, as indicated at 87, in order to direct the air appropriately to the blades. The blades, it will be realized, are shaped for axial flow. The outlets may conveniently be arranged at the place indicated, where the pressure is materially negative, or alternatively the outlet passages may be connected to discharge elsewhere along the upper surface of the wing. Inlet passages may also be provided from the under surface of the plane.

The axle 82 can be connected by any appropriate means with the operating mechanism for the lifting planes shown in Figures 1 and 2. For this purpose the drawings show the shaft 89 geared'at 90 to the axle 82 and connected at its rear end to the vertical shaft 7 described inconnection with Figures 1 and :2 with the lifting planes 4 and 5. With this arrangement, when the aeroplane is gliding, the airflow acting on the bladed rotor will generate sufficient power to operate the lifting planes at such speed as will provide material lift.

It will be evident that the turbine can be arranged always to be operating whilst the aeroplane is in motion, or alternatively shuttors may be provided to stop the air flow, being arranged, for example, along the lead ing edge, as indicated at 88 in Figure 9, to close the inlets in normal circumstances.

It will be seen, therefore, that the invention provides in a simple manner a construction and method of mounting and driving lifting planes for aircraft which results in high lifting efficiency at low flying speed.

Furthermore, when such lifting planes are employed in conjunction with. main fixed planes, the necessary area of wing spread can be greatly reduced, permitting a greater load to be carried for a given area of lifting surface.

A ain, owing to the speed attained by the lifting planes any adverse effects on the machine by varying gusts of wind are considerablv reduced. resulting in improved lat eral stability of the machine.

What I claim as myinvientionand desire to secure by Letters Patent of the. United States is: '1

1. vF or anair'craft, a. liftingplanelset at a desired. angle ofin'cidence with respect .to the longitudinal plane ofrthe aircraft, and

means for reciprocating said lifting plane bodily in a pathtransv er'se to the aircraft. 2. An aircraft having an aerofoil movably secured on it and means for harmonically reciprocating the aerofoil as a whole in a straight line path.

3. An aircraft having an aerofoil set at a desired angle of incidence and movably mounted on it, means for reciprocating the aerofoil transverse to the aircraft, means for driving the aircraft forward, and means for turning the aerofoil in accordance with the resultant line of travel.

4. For an aircraft, means for driving the aircraft forward, an aerofoil mounted on the aircraft and set at a desired angle of incidence, means for harmonically reciprocating said aerofoil in a straight-line path transverse to the line of travel of the aircraft, and means 1 for maintaining said aerofoil with its leading plane and transversely of the aircraft, and

a wind-responsive fin on the aerofoil, the aerofoil being freely mounted to be turned by the fin.

7. In an aircraft, a vertical pivot, means for rotating said pivot both about its own axis and about a parallel axis, a horizontal arm fast on said pivot, and a lifting plane swivelled on said arm, said lifting plane being set at a desired angle of incidence relative to the main longitudinal plane of the aircraft and having a wind-responsive vane on it.

8. In an aircraft, the combination 'with an aerofoil set at a desired angle of incidence and adapted to be reciprocated, of a rotatable bladed wheel connected to said aerofoil for reciprocating .same, and inlet passages adapted to guide air tothe blades of said wheel for rotating same.

9. In an aeroplane having a wing, a bladed rotor mounted in said wing, an inlet passage connecting the blades of said rotor with a part of said wing where the air pressure is positive when the aeroplane is traveling, said passage and blade being shaped so that the air will effect rotation of said rotor, an aerofoil'adapted' for reciprocation, and means whereby said rotor when rotating reciprosates said aerofoil.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

GEORGE DEAN. 

